


I brought a friend

by orphan_account



Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Asthma, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-03 00:33:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1724618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Chandler is invited to another party with his team, he sees his chance to tell them something that has been on his mind for a long time...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! First of all, thank you for reading my first story :D  
> I should probably tell you that English is not my first language, so feel free to correct me if I make any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes...  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Oh and none of the characters is mine (except Sebastian), and I don't own Whitechapel (otherwise there would DEFINITELY be a fifth season...)

"Sir?"

DI Chandler made a little jump at the sudden noise.

"Oh, Miles. I didn't hear you come in."

He thought everybody had gone home already. It was late and he was tidying the office, preparing to go home afterwards. As usual, he would clean every desk of his team, filling the bin with crumpled papers and sandwich wrappers until he was satisfied with the way the bureau looked.  
He knew the team must have noticed by now that every morning their desks looked suspiciously clean and tidy in comparison to what they left behind the previous day. Surely they had also realized their boss and his OCD were the cause of that particular fenomenon, but they respected him enough not to make any comments about it.

He looked up from his task expectantly. 

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, there's a party- this saturday."

He hesitated when he saw the look on his bosses face at the word 'party'.

"Me and the lads would really like it if you'd join us." He added.

"I- Where is this party exactly?" Chandler was inwardly pleading that it wasn't the bar: he'd seen enough of that place for a lifetime after the last 'party' they decided to throw.

"At my place, sir." Miles offered him an encouraging smile. "It'll be fun, I promise."

He grimaced. He guessed he had an entirely different definition of the word 'fun' than most people.  
Chandler knew he couldn't pass on this: besides his general uneasiness and being socially awkward, he had no legitimate reason not to attend the party. Besides, it'd be good for the team spirit.

"What time?" He asked, trying his best to fake a smile. 

"Great! 7 pm, don't be late!" Miles said, walking out of the office in the direction of the elevator.

"Oh, and you can bring someone with you if you like, a girlfriend, maybe?" He called out from down the hall.

"Miles, I-" He tried shouting an answer to that, before realizing with a sigh that it was useless: Miles was to far away already. 

Great. Another party.

(*_*) (*_*) (*_*)

"Are you sure you want to do this?"  
"I don't know, okay?!" The DI snapped, rubbing at his temples with force, trying to slow down his erratic breathing.

"Take it easy Joe."

The steady hand on his chest made him calm down, the contact grounding him.

"I'm sorry. I just... feel nervous and agitated and... I don't know what I want to do anymore..." He mumbled, suddenly taking interest in the pattern of the tiles on the bathroom floor.

"Hey." The other man gently lifted up Chandlers chin.  
"Look at me. It's all right to be afraid, Joe." 

He looked up, locking his blue eyes with chocolate brown ones, causing some of the tension to leave his body.  
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, you know that right? Whatever you decide, I'm here for you."

He swallowed hard.  
"I know. Thank you."

He sighed. "I don't want to hide this anymore. I'm proud of being with you. I love you, Sebastian."

"I know that, silly. I love you to."

The DI looked down at their entangled hands, mind still churning.

"What if I just come with you to the party, get to know them first?"

Joe looked up with a confused expression.

"You know, you just tell them I'm your friend, and if you decide to go through with this... I'll be there for you."

He waited patiently while Joe thought it over. He could see the doubt and the fear of being rejected clearly displayed on his face.

"Only do what you feel comfortable with. Coming out to you colleagues-"

"Friends."

"your friends... It's not a small thing. I know it's hard."

Joe sighed. He was right.

"Thank you, Seb. I think I'd like it if you came along..."

"All right. Let's do it then." The mouth of the dark-haired man curled into an affectionate smile, making it almost impossible for Joe not to smile himself.

God, he loved this man so much.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was a hot day at the office, the air sultry as the quiet humming of the airconditioning resonated through the building. 

There was a relaxed, easy-going mood in the office, a state that always came with solving a case like this: they had been able to save two ten year-olds from a terribly painful death. 

Miles was laughing out loud about some hilarious story Mansell was telling, completely with voice imitations and wide gestures to emphasize the situation he was talking about. 

In the corner Riley was looking at something Kent was showing her on his phone, both of them giggling like schoolgirls, momentarely looking up to see what all the cheering was about before deciding that whatever they were doing was more interesting than Mansells jokes.

They were all very oblivious to their DI, whose mood was quite the opposite of relaxed and cheerfull.

Everything seemed to agitate him: the humidity made his clothes feel itchy and sticky, making him wish he could wash every five minutes, and he just couldn't line up the items on his desk in a proper way. He felt like the heat was suffocating him, like he was being wrapped up in plastic foil. He was tired, nervous and definitely not in the mood for a party.

For the fifth time today, he was asking himself why he had agreed upon joining them. He kept telling himself that he was in a bad mood and therefore wasn't looking forward to the party, rather than the other way around.

On an unconscious level, he was well aware of the fact that it wasn't so much the party he didn't particularly look forward to, but rather the announcement he was planning on making tonight.

He knew how cruel people could be when it came to that kind of stuff, that's why he's always been very careful not to give away to much personal information.

As a child he'd been through a lot of bullying on top of the problems he had at home. He was this weird, scrawny looking kid with an inhaler permanently tucked in his left jacket pocket, too concerned with hygiene and appearance to take part in the outdoor games and sports like his classmates did.

The day he told his mother he had fallen in love with another boy, she had answered that it was probably "just a phase" and he shouldn't worry to much about it. It would pass.

But it didn't. He hadn't told many people since then, deciding it was better that way. However, he had been seeing Sebastian for over a year now, and after all the team felt like family to him. He didn't want to keep the most important person in his life a secret for them.

 

(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)

 

"You ready?"

The DI couldn't help but smile: Sebastian had always been incredibly sweet about his OCD, saying he understood and he didn't mind. He'd been standing on the other side of the bathroom door for what must've been about half an hour now. They'd been ready to leave when Joe told him he had to do something first, but it "wouldn't take long". Being stressed always had this kind of effect on him.

He checked his reflection in the mirror one last time, and opened the bathroom door.

"Ready." He answered, an apologetic look on his face. 

"You look amazing." Sebastian assured him.

"Not as good as you."

The ride to Miles' place was silent, apart from the soft music playing through the car radio. Sebastian knew it was better not to interrupt the other mans train of thought right now, so he settled for a reassuring hand on his thigh instead. Joe turned around to look at him lovingly, and placed his hand on top of Sebastians.

"It's right there."

Sebastian smoothly parked the vehicle on the other side of the street. The DI wouldn't trust anyone else with his car, but Sebastian had proven a long time ago he handled things with much care and precaution.

Joe took a deep breath and opened the car door, letting in the warm evening-air. He crossed the street, Sebastian following not far behind. Only a very slight hesitation was noticeable before he rang the doorbell. 

It didn't take Miles long to come and answer the door, a big smile plastered on his face and wearing what Joe guessed was his most coulourful hawaii-shirt. 

"Joe, come in! Sit down, have a drink... Oh, good, you brought a friend!" Ray said, taking in the sight of Sebastian.

"Welcome! And what should I call you then?"

"You may call me whatever you like, but I usually go by Sebastian."


End file.
